Picasso’s works from the early period, also known as the Blue and Rose period, can be characterized as melancholic and pessimistic because of the dark palette used in the paintings. The paintings also utilize dark colors to represent human misery. A further prominent work of Picasso (1906), Two Nudes, was inspired by Greek vase paintings. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, one of the painter’s most famous works, represents a modernist approach to expressionist art and pictures three women similar to the women in Two Nudes in a simplified manner (Picasso, 1907). Experiments with simplifying object forms and contours resulted in the development of Picasso’s Cubist style.
Picasso’s paintings during the analytic Cubism period often explore different themes through sculptural modeling and deconstruction of the objects. On the other hand, works from the synthetic Cubism period resemble collages or collections of pieces that form a single object. Many of Picasso’s Cubism focus on the concept of the sculptural ensemble. Some of the sculptors who also explored the complexity of sculptural ensembles included Archipenko, Duchamp-Villon, Lipchitz, and Laurens. After the war, Picasso developed an interest in sculpture and produced many experimental constructions from metal and clay.
Other significant figures in the history of Modernism include:
- Julio Gonzalez, the pioneer of modern iron sculpture;
- Constantin Brancusi created elemental sculptures with basic forms;
- Juan Gris, famous for his complex and refined Cubism paintings;
- Albert Gleizes, a Cubism painter used a signature color palette of green, yellow, and red;
- Giacomo Balla, Italian Futurism painter;
- Umberto Boccioni, a Futurism sculptor and painter who encouraged the use of different materials such as glass, leather, and mirrors in sculptures;
- Fernand Leger centered his painting on the theme of humanity and industrial society;
- Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen, who owned the 291 galleries of modern paintings and sculpture;
- Georgia O’Keeffe, a famous American abstract painter;
- Piet Mondrian, developed a technique of expressing dynamic movements through plastic art and the simplification of colors.
Color and form in modern art can be associated with two prominent movements, Synchronism and Precisionism. Synchronism is based on the principles of color theory introduced by Chevreul, Rood, and Blanc. On the other hand, Precisionism prioritizes using of geometric forms and sharp details. Lastly, Russia significantly impacted Modernism; in particular, works by Kazimir Malevich and Vasily Kandinsky present valuable examples of the interpretation of Western experiments with abstraction and construction in art.
References
Picasso, P. (1907). Les Demoiselles d’Avignon [painting]. MoMa, New York, NY, United States. Web.
Picasso, P. (1906). Two Nudes [painting]. MoMa, New York, NY, United States. Web.